It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the people of Makkah demanded from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he turn the mountain of Safa into gold for them and remove the mountains from them so that (the land would become level and) they could do farming. It was said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): If you wish, grant them respite, and if you wish, fulfill their demand, but if after their demand is fulfilled they still disbelieve, then I will destroy them as I destroyed the people before them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, I grant them respite. So Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: {وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ اَنْ نُّرْسِلَ بِالْاٰیٰتِ اِلَّآ اَنْ کَذَّبَ بِہَا الْاَوَّلُوْنَ وَاٰتَیْنَا ثَمُوْدَ النَّاقَۃَ مُبْصِرَۃً فَظَلَمُوْا بِہَا وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالْاٰیٰتِ اِلَّا تَخْوِیْفًا۔} … And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamud the she-camel as a clear sign, but they wronged her. And We do not send the signs except as a warning.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that regarding this verse {وَمَا جَعَلَنَا الرُّؤْیَا الَّتِیْ اَرَیْنَاکَ اِلَّا فِتْنَۃً لِلنَّاسِ} … "And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people," he says that by "the vision" is meant the seeing of the eye, which the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw on the night of Mi'raj (Ascension).

(Second chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that regarding the interpretation of this verse {وَمَا جَعَلَنَا الرُّؤْیَا الَّتِیْ اَرَیْنَاکَ اِلَّا فِتْنَۃً لِلنَّاسِ} … And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people, he says: That what is meant by this is the thing which was in the state of wakefulness, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw with his own eyes when he was taken towards Bayt al-Maqdis.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that Allah Almighty says: {وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ اِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ کَانَ مَشْہُوْدًا} … And recite the Qur’an at dawn; surely the recitation of the Qur’an at dawn is ever witnessed. The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The angels of the night and the angels of the day are present at this prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, regarding the statement of Allah Almighty {عَسٰی اَنْ یَبْعَثَکَ رَبُّکَ مَقَامًا مَحْمُوْدًا} … (Soon your Lord will raise you to a praised station.), said: This is the station where I will intercede for my Ummah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in Makkah, then he was commanded to migrate, and Allah Almighty revealed this command to him: {وَقُلْ رَبِّ اَدْخِلْنِیْ مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَاَخْرِجْنِیْ مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَل لِّیْ مِن لَّدُنْکَ سُلْطَانًا نَصِیْرًا} … And say: O my Lord! Cause me to enter a truthful entering and cause me to exit a truthful exiting, and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Quraysh said to the Jews: Tell us something about which we can ask this man (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) (and leave him unable to answer). They said: Ask him about the soul. So when they asked, this verse was revealed: {وَیَسْأَ لُونَکَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَ مْرِ رَبِّی وَمَا أُوتِیتُمْ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِیلًا} … They ask you concerning the soul. Say: The soul is by the command of my Lord, and you have been given only a little knowledge. They said: We have been given a lot of knowledge; we have been given the Torah, and whoever is given the Torah has been given much goodness. In response to their statement, Allah Almighty revealed this verse: {قُلْ لَّوْ کَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّکَلِمٰتِ رَبِّیْ لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ اَنْ تَنْفَدَ کَلِمٰتُ رَبِّیْ وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِہٖ مَدَدًا} … Say: If the sea were ink for (writing) the words of my Lord, surely the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it to add to it.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I was walking with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a field of Madinah, while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was leaning on a twig. Meanwhile, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a group of Jews. They said to one another: Ask him about the soul. Some said: Do not ask him anything. But then they asked and said: O Muhammad! What is the soul? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up leaning on the twig. I thought that revelation was being sent down upon him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: {وَیَسْأَ لُونَکَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَ مْرِ رَبِّی وَمَا أُوتِیتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِیلًا} … They ask you concerning the soul. Say: The soul is by the command of my Lord, and you have been given only a little knowledge. Then some of them began to say to others: Did we not tell you not to ask him?

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Jew said to his companion: "Come, let us go to this Prophet and ask him about this verse {وَلَقَدْ آتَیْنَا مُوسٰی تِسْعَ آیَاتٍ} ... (And indeed We gave Musa [Moses] nine clear signs)." The other Jew said: "Do not call him a Prophet; if he hears this, he will become four-eyed," (meaning he will be very pleased that even the Jews call him a Prophet). So they came and asked, and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Do not associate partners with Allah, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not kill a soul whom Allah has forbidden to kill except by right, do not practice magic, do not consume usury, do not bring an innocent and blameless person before the king so that he may be killed, do not slander a chaste woman, or he said, do not flee from the battlefield on the day of battle, and O Jews! Especially beware that you do not transgress on the Sabbath." Those Jews kissed the hands and feet of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "We bear witness that you are indeed a Prophet." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then what is preventing and hindering you from following me?" They said: "Dawud (David), peace be upon him, prayed that a Prophet would always come from his lineage, so if we accept Islam, we fear that the Jews will kill us."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when this verse was revealed: {وَلَا تَجْہَرْ بِصَلَاتِکَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِہَا وَابْتَغِ بَیْنَ ذٰلِکَ سَبِیْلًا} … "And do not recite your prayer loudly, nor recite it in a low voice, but seek a way between." At that time, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was living in Makkah in concealment. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) led his companions in prayer, he would recite the Holy Qur’an aloud. When the polytheists heard the Qur’an, they would revile the Holy Qur’an, the One who revealed it, and the angel who brought it. So Allah Almighty said to His Prophet: {وَلَا تَجْہَرْ بِصَلَاتِکَ} meaning, do not recite so loudly that the polytheists hear and then abuse the Qur’an, {وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِہَا} and do not recite so softly to your companions that they cannot hear, so that they may listen and learn it, {وَابْتَغِ بَیْنَ ذٰلِکَ سَبِیلًا} and seek a way between these two.